Wild, herby, meaty notes lurk in the background. This isn’t
just about sweet fruit: there’s also a strongly savoury, mineral dimension
here. A serious effort, but it will need considerable time to come round.
92-94/100.

It is one of a series of good Pinotages he’s recently tasted
that has caused him to rethink the variety of which he writes “I’m now changing
my mind about”.

12 September 2012

Pinotages from Durbanville Hills, Robertson Winery
and Tukulu will be among the first to bear a new seal guaranteeing the wine was
produced ethically.

The seal is awarded to individual wines, rather than the winery. Wines of South Africa CEO, Su
Birch, explains “As compliance has to be fully traceable across the entire
production chain, every wine submitted has to be individually audited.”

The wines are

Durbanville Hills ‘Rhinofields’ Pinotage 2011

Robertson Winery Pinotage 2011

Tukulu Pinotage 2010

“They are the trailblazers who are setting an important precedent for
the industry in its efforts to fast-track the implementation of fair labour
practices on wine farms and in cellars” says Su Birch.

The new ethical seal testifies that producers have adhered to the WIETA
code which is based on the International Labour Conventions’ Ethical Trading Initiative
and South African labour legislation. This code prohibits the use of child
labour, and ensures that employment is freely chosen with all employees working
within a healthy and safe environment.The code also states that workers should have the right to freedom of
association, a living wage and to be protected from unfair discrimination.
Worker housing and tenure security rights should also be respected.

07 September 2012

Last night Decanter magazine announced the International Trophy Winners of the Decanter World Wine Awards competition.Trophy for Red Single Varietal over £10 was awarded to Bellingham 'The Bernard Series', Bush Vine Pinotage 2010.The judges comments were:

Pepper, fynbos aromas with a violet and cocoa whiff. Pure dark cherry and plum with good ripeness, slightly herby and meaty on a concentrated inky character. Gorgeous wine - keeps on giving .

The Wine of Origin is Coastal as the grapes came from two vineyards, one in Bottelary, Stellenbosch and the other in Darling, Swartland.“In many ways, these two distinct vineyards offer glimpses into the
parentage of Pinotage, with the grapes from Darling showing almost
Cinsaut biased characters whilst the Bottelary vineyards have a Pinot
Noir edge,” says winemaker Niël Groenwald. “The soils are predominantly weathered granite
and Malmesbury shale, with the youngest vines being 20 years old. This
combination in relation to the two climates afforded low yields,
excellent concentration and amazing character in the 2010 vintage.”

Congratulations to Niël and his team and all at Bellingham.

It is great to see Pinotage win against the best red wines of the world!

About Me

Peter F May is the founder of The Pinotage Club, an international cyber-based fan club for wines made from the Pinotage variety.
Peter was awarded Honorary Membership of the producers Pinotage Association in 2004 and was a judge at the annual Pinotage Top 10 Competition in 2004 and 2005.
Peter is a wine writer, educator and author. His book PINOTAGE: Behind the Legends of South Africa's Own Wine may ordered below and from Amazon.
Marilyn Merlot and the Naked Grape - odd wines from around the world was published in summer 2006.
Peter answers all polite emails - contact him at peter (at) pinotage (dot) org .

A I Perold's
A Treatise
on Viticulture
A I Perold (1880-1941) was South Africa's first Professor of Viticulture and Oenology. He dedicated himself to improving the quality of grapes for wine, brandy and the table. He studied wine and brandy production in Europe, imported more than 60 varieties to the Cape and bred new ones. Perold said this book “is intended to serve both the student and the practical grape-grower. There are in it technical passages that will appeal more to the student, e.g. the chapters dealing with the biology of the vine, its external and internal morphology, the theory of grafting. My remarks on the practice of viticulture, such as those dealing with the propagation, manuring and pruning of the vine, the production of table grapes for export, will, it is hoped, assist the practical grape-grower as well as the student.” This is a newly typeset reprint, not a photocopy. Text on the 712 pages have been aligned to match the original pagination so any external references to pages in the Treatise will be valid in this edition
Available in paperback and hardback editions. 712 pages